christmas

I have been trying to embrace a simpler Christmas this year. But every day still seems to be packed with gift giving, family visits, parties, extra cooking, family activities and decorating. Even when we try not to, it is easy to become distracted by all the things that we have to do and not spend enough time celebrating the true reason for Christmas.

That’s why I put together this list of very simple ways we can focus on Christ this month. For you and for me. These 7 ideas aren’t meant to add more stress to your life, but to be small, meaningful things worth adding to your schedule.

Read the Christmas story.
This is something my family has always done on Christmas morning, but I will likely move the tradition to Christmas Eve so it isn’t so rushed. You can find the story in Luke 2:1-20 and Matthew 2:1-23.

Bake birthday cake for Jesus.
I don’t think Jesus would care whether it’s a bakery cake or a cake from a box, but the point is to recognize that Christmas is Jesus’ special day.

Do an advent activity.
I have a toddler, so the best I can get is working on an advent coloring page each night. As she gets older, we will switch to the Jesse Tree Project, which I purchased last year. I have also heard great things about Shepherd on the Search, which seems like a Christ-centered alternative to Elf on the Shelf.

Hang a white stocking.
I love this idea from Clarks Condensed of hanging up a white stocking. On slips of paper, they write down acts of kindness done for each other or people outside the family and place those in the stocking. They read them on Christmas day as gifts for Jesus.

Attend Christmas Eve service.
This year Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday, which makes this one easy to do. Take your family to a Christmas Eve service as a designated time to remember how special the gift of Jesus is.

Watch a Christ-focused Christmas movie as a family.The Nativity Story is a great one to watch and The Star, about the Christmas story from a donkey’s perspective, is in theaters now.

Give everyone one Christ-centered gift.
This year, we are getting my daughter a Jesus Storybook Bible to read as a part of her bedtime routine. For adults, you could buy a Christian book, album or even a decoration for the house or office.

These are just ideas to get your wheels turning. It doesn’t matter what you do, just that you do something to remember and celebrate Jesus. He is better than any gift, any party or any special treat.

It seems I’m always looking for good $10 gift ideas this time of year. Everything from white elephant exchanges, co-worker gatherings, Secret Santas to Bunco parties require small gifts.

Ten dollars seems to be a common amount, but finding good $10 gifts can be challenging. After all, how many food items or body wash sets can one person use? Though $10 is a small amount, I still like to give gifts that a person will really enjoy and be able to use.

So I put together a few ideas that would make great gifts that still come in under the $10 mark.

Ten Awesome $10 Gift Ideas

Gift Cards
If you’re buying for a friend, you know them well enough to get a gift card from their favorite store. But if you’re buying a generic gift that could go to anyone, stick to stores everyone seems to like– Amazon, Target, Starbucks, Redbox, iTunes, etc. And don’t forget local businesses, such as coffee shops, boutiques or restaurants.

Phone Accessories
In our house, there are never enough charging cables, phone cases, earbuds and wall chargers to keep everyone stocked up. Especially since we keep duplicates in different parts of the house, in our cars and in my purse.

Gift Sets
I hate to knock Old Spice, but skip the average gift sets you see and go for sets from great brands like Burt Bees, Soap and Glory or The Honest Company to give someone a chance to try nice products that they might not typically purchase for themselves.

Books, Magazines, Music and Movies
Be on the lookout for great sales on these items in weekly circulars. Target does this often. In some cases, you can catch a deal on magazine subscriptions from sites like Discount Magazines. You could gift a much-loved Christmas movie or a bestselling book.

Ornament
You can’t go wrong with a beautiful ornament to go on the tree. Stores like Hallmark and Hobby Lobby have pretty ornaments. And if you have something particular in mind, check out Etsy where you’ll get exactly what you’re looking for and support a small business owner.

Coffee Mug and Coffee
Everyone seems to live on coffee (with the exception of my husband and me), so a nice coffee mug and coffee would make a perfect gift. Coffee shops often sell their coffee, and TJ Maxx and Home Goods sell unique coffee blends as well.

Nice Soaps, Lotion or Candles
Now I’m not talking about a bar of Dial and bottle of Jergens here. Instead, choose items like specialty soaps (Goat Milk Stuff is my favorite) or premium candles like Yankee. (Although, essential oils are a wonderful alternative.)

Board or Card Games
You can find several card games and a few board games that cost $10 or less, and it’s something a whole family would love to do. I have wonderful memories of my family playing games at holiday gatherings. Uno comes in many inexpensive varieties now, and classic games like Jenga and Taboo are typically less expensive.

Office Supplies
If you know any nerds like me, then gifting office supplies is always a safe bet. A nice set of pens, cute notebook or decorative post-its are perfect for those in your life who were the type to get excited about buying new school supplies as kids.

Calendar
With a New Year just around the corner, gift someone an awesome calendar. My husband’s favorites are Chuck Norris or Dilbert. I’ve had every calendar under the sun over the years from puppies to fact-a-day. Indoor malls typically have calendar kiosks, and stores like bookstores and Go! Calendars & Games have a great selection of calendars.

Now you can easily find some $10 gifts that you’ll be proud to give this Christmas. Hope this makes your shopping easier.

We all have someone on our Christmas list who is notoriously hard to get for.

There’s the people who seem like they already have it all.

There’s the people we don’t really know well enough to know what they would like.

And then, there’s the people who want such particular things, only they can buy things for themselves.

The best solution is to ask these people for a list of 3-5 things they want, but if you aren’t able to do that, here are some ideas that may help you out:

Gift Cards
There are some gift cards you just can’t go wrong with– Amazon, Target, Starbucks, to name a few. Everyone loves getting gift cards because you can get exactly what you want, or put the gift card toward a larger purchase.

Subscription Boxes or Services
Subscriptions are very popular right now– everything from meal kits like Blue Apron to clothing services like Stitch Fix to SiriusXM Radio. Even if you can’t afford to pay for an entire month of the subscription, you can still get them a gift card in the amount you have budgeted.

Food Gifts
My dad is incredibly hard to buy for, as are many men. But one thing I can always count on is his love of food. And, there are sites like Omaha Steaks and Cheryl’s Cookies that deliver high-quality specialty foods. Hey, even the food-of-the-month clubs are a good idea for the foodies in your life.

Practical Gifts
There are certain products like body wash, lotion, hair care and perfume/cologne that we all use. For a really nice gift, skip the Old Spice set and spend your budget on a nicer brand for your loved one to try, like these razors from Harry’s or Dollar Shave Club. For the ladies, you have to check out All Girl Shave Club.

Activities or Experiences
Don’t forget experience gifts like movie tickets, paint studios, gym memberships, house cleaning services or museum memberships. And if there is an activity your friend or family member would love that’s outside of your budget, consider splitting the cost with someone else.

Quality Time
We all live such busy lives that sometimes the nicest gift is just focused, one-on-one time together. You can make it special by going to a restaurant you’ve both wanted to try, trying a new activity together or taking a day trip together somewhere.

Who are the hard-to-get-for people on your list? Get help brainstorming ideas for your hard-to-buy-for loved ones by commenting on this post on the Defeating Busy Facebook page.

Christmas is definitely my favorite holiday. There is so much to love– the decorations, light displays, celebrations, music, movies and more. And I love the process of thinking about my loved ones, deciding what to get them and looking for great deals.

However with so many gifts to buy– everyone from family to friends to mail carriers to teachers– the expenses can add up quickly. I try to land somewhere in the middle of Santa Claus and Scrooge, so I can still appreciate those I care about without hurting my family’s finances.

If that’s you too, here are some ideas for ways you can save on Christmas without turning into Scrooge.

Set a gift budget.
I do this for gifts all year long, but at Christmas it’s especially important. Sit down with your spouse and discuss how much you want to spend on each other, children, parents, siblings and others. You can log this information in my Christmas Expense Tracker, and you’ll be able to use it next year as a starting point for setting your Christmas budget. Setting a budget has allowed us to avoid one spouse spending more than the other, spending more on one set of parents vs. the other and forgetting some people’s gifts entirely.

Draw names.
Instead of shopping for everyone in your large family, suggest drawing names. This will allow you to get a nicer gift for one person than small presents for many people.

Buy for kids only.
Children are the most fun to give gifts to. The excitement and glee all over their faces as they rip into gifts always makes me think of the saying, “Tis better to give than receive.” Why not suggest just buying for the children and letting the adults share in their joy?

Buy family gifts.
Gifts like board games, movies, themed gift baskets or memberships to museums, zoos or theaters make perfect gifts for the whole family. And they can be much less stressful to buy than getting individual gifts for every member of the family.

Agree on a price limit for friends & family.
Nothing is more awkward than spending $20 on your friend a Christmas gift when you can tell she spent more than $50. This situation can be avoided if you set a price limit on gifts with your friends and family.

Consider making gifts with special talent.
Imagine getting pumpkin bread from your friend who is a fabulous baker or a monogrammed shirt from a family member who is a whiz with their Cricut. Use your special skill or favorite hobby to make your friends and family members a gift that is truly one-of-a-kind.

Give a quality time gift.
Honestly, I can’t name a specific gift I received last year for Christmas. And I’m betting many of you can’t either. We are so blessed with material things in this country, but often poor in quality time spent with those we love. (I’m talking about phone-free, distraction-free time really focused on someone else.) Skip the gift and do something special with your friend or family member like a meal out or painting class.

If you are willing to be creative and talk to your friends and family members, you can save money on gifts without feeling cheap or greedy.

Christmas usually means spending time with your extended family. Extended family gatherings look very different; your family may be the Baileys or they may be the Griswolds. Really, the McAllisters are probably the most normal and fall somewhere in between. Remember this scene?

My extended family get-togethers are usually the complete opposite– definitely no pizza, not this loud and no physical fighting at least. There are lots of conversations that start with, “Do you remember such and such? You know, they live on the old somebody farm.” And we usually say, “Sure, sure,” to keep the story going even though we have no idea who they are talking about.

I suppose I either want family gatherings to be fun or a time that we reconnect and grow closer. So if your family is like mine, let’s suggest and plan a few new (or forgotten) activities to make this year more memorable.

Play board games.
We used to do this when I was a teen, and I have great memories of us all laughing hysterically at the table after dinner. Our favorites were Taboo and Pictionary. And I’ve heard rave reviews recently about Speak Out. (If you want a good laugh, watch this YouTube video about Speak Out.)

Build your family tree.
Use a family tree printable like these from Family Tree Templates to chart your family members and have the opportunity to share memories about those you knew. This is an informal way to learn more about your family and where you came from.

Go for a walk.
With all the extra food we enjoy at Christmas, we could all benefit from bundling up and taking a walk around the neighborhood. If your family is the musical kind, you could carol as you go. What a very Little Women thing to do!

Break out the home videos.
Have each family bring an old home video. Everyone can gather around and enjoy memories of when you were younger, thinner and more energetic. Ha!

Most of all, don’t leave home without spending a little time with Jesus. You may have a couple of relatives are crazy and drive you crazy. And if you don’t have a crazy relative, you may be the crazy relative. And I don’t know about you, but if I don’t take the time to get my heart right, it’s way too easy to get irritated, run out of patience and see all the things I don’t like about others. And for that relative who get under your skin, take a minute or two to think of 1 or 2 good qualities of that person. I read that tip in a magazine, and it certainly changes my perspective.

Choose your attitude and plan your time together to have the best extended family Christmas yet!

Recently, I watched a Periscope video by Crystal Paine of Money Saving Mom, and she told that her family created a Christmas Bucket List this year. Each family member chose 1 or 2 activities that he/she wanted to do this Christmas.

I thought this was an inspired idea and couldn’t wait to share the idea with you. But why make a bucket list for Christmas? Isn’t that just another list of things you need to do during this busy season? Well, yes and no. There are 3 great reasons your family should make their own bucket list.

A bucket list allows you to say no to things you don’t really want to do.
Friend lunches, cookie exchanges, church parties, shopping parties, volunteer opportunities. Does this sound familiar? There are never-ending ways to celebrate and a never-ending list of people who would like to have some of your time. Having a bucket list gives you permission to say no to activities that aren’t on the list. And who can question such a sweet “no”: “Because there’s so much going on this time of year, my family made a list of activities we want to do together. So I’m spending my free time doing those and can’t make it to your event.”

A bucket list ensures you make time for the things that are important to you and your family.
We can get so busy that the season passes and you realize you never found time to watch your favorite Christmas movie or attend the Singing Christmas Tree performance that you love. Having a written list and the accountability of sharing it with your family makes it more likely that you won’t miss your favorite Christmas traditions.

A bucket list is a great opportunity to create family traditions.
Making this list gives you an opportunity to think about what memories you want to make with your family and what activities you want to make a yearly tradition. It may be helpful to think about the time when your kids are grown and starting families of their own. When asked what their family always made time to do at Christmas, how would you want them to answer? After all, these same traditions may be passed down to your grandchildren.

So if you need a few ideas to help you start brainstorming types of activities, check out this list:

There are two traditions that my family does each Christmas. My grandmother started the first tradition of making candy. She has always made a variety, but my favorite is buckeyes (a.k.a. peanut butter balls). Another tradition that my mom started was going to see a movie on Christmas Eve. When I was younger, it was usually a Christmas movie like The Santa Clause, but as we’ve gotten older, we are happy to find any type of movie that’s worth spending $10 per person to see. Ha! A tradition that are starting at my house this year is The Jesse Tree Project, so we can make sure the focus is on Jesus rather than Santa.

What about you? What are some of your family traditions? Or what traditions do you plan to start this year?

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About Me

My name is Ashley. I’m the wife of the best guy on the planet, the mom of two crazy girls and a lover of all things country music, reading and group fitness. And I’m super passionate about helping you simplify your life so you can spend more time doing the things you love.